The Republic of Cyprus has consciously chosen to be present, reliable, and useful in the international community, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Konstantinos Kombos, on Tuesday evening, adding that ‘in our effort for the liberation and reunification of our island, our Diaspora remains a valuable partner’.
Speaking on behalf of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, at the World Conference of Diaspora Cypriots, in Nicosia and addressing the participants, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that ‘your presence today is a strong confirmation of the guiding principle that neither distance nor time weakens our bonds. Institutionally and organically, you are the connecting link between the Cypriots of the diaspora and the Republic of Cyprus’, he stressed.
‘You keep our identity, values and culture alive in the countries where you live and excel. You support, with your action, influence and above all with your dedication, the efforts of the State’, he said, adding that ‘we recognise and appreciate your valuable contribution’ and that ‘we are grateful to you’.
Furthermore, Kombos pointed out that ‘in a complex and dangerous international environment, the Republic of Cyprus has made a conscious choice, to be present, reliable, useful to the international community, with an extrovert and active foreign policy’.
‘We are strengthening our relations with strategic partners, investing in trilateral and multilateral cooperation, leveraging our European status and our excellent relations with the states of the region with a clear goal: to strengthen all the factors of strength of the Republic of Cyprus, to give no space to anyone, without defeatism, without defeatism, with awareness of our possibilities, but also of our limitations, with a sense of duty to the country’, he underlined.
As he said, ‘we also demonstrated this during the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which was recently successfully completed and of method, dedication, and focus, something that was recognised abroad and praised, highlighting and promoting the Republic of Cyprus for the right reasons’.
Referring to this year’s 52nd anniversary of the ongoing and illegal Turkish occupation of Cypriot territory, ‘a contemptuous and provocative violation of international legitimacy, human rights and all the rules of operation of the international community’, the Minister of Foreign Affairs noted that ‘the invader, the occupier, believes that time and the power of the strong will fade memory, will inactivate our duty and will lead to the acceptance of faits accomplis, but they are under a state of self-deception’.
He further stated that ‘memory is alive as long as the occupation is a daily and painful experience’, noting that ‘our history has bequeathed to us a duty to free ourselves from the shackles of occupation, to liberate and reunite Cyprus.’
”I Will Not Forget’ is not a slogan but our way of survival until vindicated,’ he said, adding that ‘from the beginning we have remained committed to creating a perspective for the resumption of substantive negotiations.’
‘We believe that a stronger Republic of Cyprus can claim more effectively, be heard louder, and better serve our great national goal,’ stressed Kombos, underlining at the same time that ‘we are working for a state worthy of the times and the demands of the citizens, with an economy that is today strong.’
‘We are recording one of the highest growth rates in the European Union, one of the highest rates of reduction in Public Debt, with one of the lowest unemployment rates, with an upgrade in investment ratings,’ he noted. ‘Without a strong economy, without a strong foreign policy, we are vulnerable and we must not allow this,’ he added.
In relation to the Cyprus issue, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that a new effort is underway, expressing Nicosia’s clear position for ‘negotiations within the framework of the UN Security Council exclusively and solely, with the active role of the EU, always supporting the efforts of the Secretary-General of the United Nations’.
At the same time, he noted that ‘in our effort for the liberation and reunification of our island, our Diaspora remains a valuable partner’, adding that ‘the further strengthening of ties with the Greek diaspora is our constant concern’.
‘We are implementing, with consistency and dedication, the ‘New Strategic Relationship’ that we have formed’, said Kombos, noting that the diaspora youth is at its centre.
He also said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has planned, implemented and continues to implement specific initiatives to strengthen communication and interaction with the Cypriot diaspora.
Referring to the initiatives, he pointed out that ‘these are being implemented step by step, methodically, with a plan, with patience, with cooperation’.
“The Diaspora, our expatriates, are an integral part of our national strength, our international presence, our collective effort, our struggle. And just as you have stood, and are standing, by Cyprus throughout time, so too will the Republic of Cyprus continue to stand by you,” he concluded.